Chương 27: NOT A LEVEL-1 ANYMORE

Jimin was still standing where he was, when the blue lightning faded. The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air, sharp and bitter, mixing with blood and smoke. For a moment, he couldn't move. His eyes were locked onto the man walking past him as if he were watching something unreal. Hyun-woo! He passed by Jimin without slowing down, his cloak fluttering slightly behind him as lightning still crackled faintly around his staff. Jimin's gaze followed him subconsciously.

Hyun-woo's calm steps, the way his eyes scanned the battlefield with absolute confidence, the silent authority he radiated; it was a different league. A group of Rifters had arrived alongside him. They spread out naturally, forming loose positions without exchanging a single word. Some raised shields, some strengthened their grip on their weapons, others began focusing mana on their staff. The remaining goblins hesitated for just a heartbeat. Then everything exploded into motion.

The Rifters charged through the army of goblins. Completely destroying each in their path. They launched a coordinated assault on the Goblin Chief. Arrows flew first, glowing with mana. Firebolts and compressed wind blades followed, slamming into the massive creature's torso. The Goblin Chief roared, swinging its enormous club and sending a shockwave through the cracked asphalt, but shimmering barriers rose in time, absorbing the impact. Jimin stood there, stunned. So… this is what a real battle looks like.

The way they moved was deliberate and calculated. Each Rifter knew exactly where to stand and what to do. They controlled the battlefield. Jimin clenched his fists. This is the world I'm stepping into. A goblin broke away from the formation and rushed toward him, snapping him out of his daze. Jimin reacted instantly. The dagger lifted into the air and shot forward, piercing straight through the creature's skull. Another goblin followed, but his knife shot fast, slicing across its throat.

He moved without thinking now. His body obeyed his will faster than his fear could catch up. I can't waste this chance. More Rifters arrived as the seconds passed. Some joined the main assault, others cleared out the remaining goblins scattered around the area. Jimin slipped into the gaps, taking down stray enemies with quick, precise telekinetic strikes. The Goblin Chief let out a final, deafening roar as a massive lightning slammed into its chest, cracking its ribcage open in a burst of light and blood.

It staggered. Then, it collapsed. The battlefield went eerily quiet. For a second, no one spoke. Then voices slowly returned; relieved laughter, exhausted sighs, urgent shouts calling for medics. The Rift outbreak had been handled successfully. Jimin lowered his hands, only now realizing how hard his heart was pounding. It's… finally over. He looked around. The street was a mess. Burned patches of asphalt, broken glass, overturned cars, streaks of blood. Ambulances arrived with blaring sirens.

Fire trucks sprayed water over burning debris. Clean-up crews and emergency responders rushed in. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. This was a disaster site. This… is the reality of this world. As the chaos slowly settled into controlled order, Jimin felt a familiar presence. So, he lifted his head. Hyun-woo was standing a few meters away, looking straight at him. Their eyes met. Something tightened in Jimin's chest.

Hyun-woo approached him slowly and said, "That was quite a tricky situation you got yourself in." Jimin opened his mouth, but no words came out. He couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound stupid. After a moment, he simply bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you." Hyun-woo nodded.

"But what were you doing here?"

"I had some stuff to do…" Jimin replied.

"But when I came here for the bus, I walked into this mess." Hyun-woo hummed softly.

"I see." Jimin hesitated before adding, "I never thought I would see you here."

"I just got out of a D-rank rift with my party," Hyun-woo said.

"We rushed here as soon as we received the news." Jimin let out a slow breath.

"If you hadn't arrived on time…" Hyun-woo reached out and tapped his shoulder lightly.

"I saw you fighting a few goblins. You did well. But don't overdo it. Or you'll end up in situations like that." Saying this, Hyun-woo walked past him, his voice calm but firm.

"There's a limit to how much you can do at level-1. I won't always be there to save your ass like today." But something clicked inside Jimin. He turned around and said loudly, "Next time… I won't need any help." Hearing this, Hyun-woo stopped but didn't turn.

"And I'm not a level-1 anymore." There was a short silence. Then Hyun-woo continued walking. There was a slight curve of a smile on his face. Not bad. Jimin watched him disappear into the crowd. Then, he heard Ji-hye calling out to him. He turned to see her supporting the wounded guy, who was somehow managing to walk now. Jimin rushed over and helped him. They reached an ambulance that had just arrived. The paramedics quickly took over and loaded the boy inside. Ji-hye exhaled deeply.

"What is this, Jimin? You just rushed out suddenly, without any discussion or warning."

"But I…" Jimin stopped, realizing his mistake.

"You're right. I should have discussed it with you properly. But it was an…" Ji-hye raised her hand.

"I understand… It was an emergency. Forget it." Jimin let out a sigh. He finally felt his body relaxing after all the mess. Then suddenly, "I managed to heal that guy enough. He'll be fine," Ji-hye continued, " I actually came to sneak a peek when I heard the noises die down. Gladly, it was over, so I went back and brought him here."

"You did a great job," Jimin said sincerely. She smiled proudly.

"I know." Then she added, "By the way, he said he was a Manaborn as well. An E-1 rank. That's why he managed to survive the injuries." Jimin's smile faded all of a sudden. What Ji-hye said, forced him to contemplate. If I didn't have Skillmaster… If I was just a regular E-1 rank… He imagined himself lying on a stretcher instead of standing here. I would be surviving… not fighting.

"So, what do we do now?" Ji-hye said suddenly.

"There's no bus."

"Guess we have to walk." They both sighed and started walking to a nearby bus stand. After a while, they took different buses and parted ways. Jimin sat down in his seat, exhaustion finally settling into his bones. He opened his status window.

—-------------------------------------------------- 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 3 HP: 340/340 STA: 185/185 MP: 165/165 PE: 270/270 STATS: STR: 9(+1) AGI: 9(+1) END: 10(+1) INT: 13(+2) WIS: 10(+2) VIT: 10(+1) CHA: 4 PSY: 19(+2) LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 5 Unique Skill: Skillmaster Skills: Telekinesis (Lv. 4) Telekinetic spin (Lv. 3) Telekinetic barrier (Lv. 3) Meditation (Lv. 4) Growth (Lv. 3) Dash (Lv. 3) Appraisal (Lv. 6) Psychic Reservoir(Lv. 2) —------------------------------------------------------ He quickly added 2 stat points to PSY and 1 to VIT. The window refreshed. — 【STATUS WINDOW】 Name: Sam Jimin Age: 16 Rank: E Level: 3 HP: 350/350 STA: 185/185 MP: 165/165 PE: 300/300 STATS: STR: 9 AGI: 9 END: 10 INT: 13 WIS: 10 VIT: 11(+1) CHA: 4 PSY: 21(+2) LUK: 10 FREE STATPOINTS: 2 —------------------------------------------------------ He decided to save the remaining points for the future. I will add the rest depending on my build.

Jimin leaned back against the bus seat and stared out the window. Today… a new chapter of his life had started.